Two-dimensional: Perry twins help bring toughness to Ledyard

Ledyard High School football players Kyle Perry, left, and his twin brother Chevy, raise their helmets during the national anthem at the Colonels' home game against Bacon Academy last Friday. Ledyard is 6-2 heading into Saturday's matchup with New London.

Ledyard - This is not going to degenerate into another story about identical twins who dress alike, sound alike, act alike and do everything together. What a cliché. Chevy and Kyle Perry don't even play the same sport in the spring.

Chevy plays lacrosse and Kyle plays baseball.

So there.

And now, so much for that theory.

Because the rest of it?

OK, so you try telling them apart.

One teacher at Ledyard High School, where the Perry twins attend and play football, tries to do it by the sneakers they're wearing. Visitors to theday.com will get their chance during the Saturday Morning Showdown, the latest rendition of the Ledyard-New London rivalry, later this week. The game coincides with The Day's foray into live video coverage on theday.com that will have the look, sound and feel of a network broadcast.

For the record: Chevy Perry says facial hair is the best way to tell them apart.

"Chin strap for Chevy," he said, alluding to a thin beard that extends from the hair line of one side of the face to the other, following the jaw line, but not covering the entire chin.

It's been helpful to the poor souls at the high school. Even coach Jim Buonocore.

"It took me about three and a half years to tell them apart," Buonocore said. "It wasn't until the midpoint of last year as they matured. Kyle kind of puffed out a little and Chevy kind of slimmed down with their facial features. I'd literally walk up to them and go, 'Perry! Which one are you?'"

It's nothing new. During the day of this interview, Chevy said he'd been called Kyle three times.

"For the most part, we do everything together," Chevy said. "At lunch we sit next to each other. Freshman year we had the same classes. But I think they smartened up and switched us because no one could tell us apart."

Kyle Perry said: "We've gotten a few teachers before. We even thought about switching jerseys for a football practice. But we definitely don't have the guts for that."

Guts, however, are what they bring to the Colonels, who are 6-2 and need a pair of wins to end the season to make the playoffs for the second straight season. Kyle Perry caught his first varsity touchdown pass last Friday.